Category: North Korea

August 18 in North Korea: No defection news whatsoever; top story is Kim Jong-un at a hog farm pic.twitter.com/gaX9fygNiv

— Adam Cathcart (@adamcathcart) August 19, 2016

I can only imagine what the North Korean athletes must have been thinking when they saw this:

North Korea is notorious for keeping a close eye on its athletes during international competition. Kim Jong-un has been spotted several times in the crowd in Rio, but not even North Korean athletes thought he would be this close to the action.

Or at least it appeared to be him.

For those that don’t know, Kim Jong-un is the isolated leader of the People’s Republic of North Korea. “Kim Jong-un,” however, is the life of the party.

The Glorious Leader may not have made it to the Olympic games, but his impersonator definitely did. The Australian-Hongkonger known as “Howard” made his presence felt at the track and field events, where cameras and vigilant viewers have seen him.  [Yahoo News]

You can read more at the link, but this guy needs to gain a lot more weight to really look Kim Jong-un.

South Korea warns of possible North Korean assassination squads @AFP https://t.co/FFrKTymICt #DPRK

— Sunghee Hwang (@sungheehwang) August 21, 2016

Yesterday the regime was claiming their diplomat was coerced into defecting and today they are claiming he is a criminal:

In its first official response to the high-profile defection, the North accused the South of launching an “anti-DPRK (North Korea) smear campaign and confrontation.”

“The Park Geun-hye group of traitors in South Korea carried out an operation to bring to South Korea a DPRK’s diplomat who fled his mission in London with his family for fear of legal punishment for his crimes,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in an English dispatch monitored in Seoul.

The KCNA did not identify Thae by his name but claimed the fugitive “was instructed to return home in June last for questioning as regards the embezzlement of huge amount of state funds, leakage of state secrets for money and rape of a minor.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

North Korea has intensified military actions around South Korea-US drills under Kim Jong Un. https://t.co/RRKKwT2BJK pic.twitter.com/8w1zn9j1Dp

— Alastair Gale (@AlastairGale) August 19, 2016

Here are some more details about the defection of North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho:

According to multiple sources who spoke under the condition of anonymity, Thae physically met an official from the South Korean government in mid-July at a tennis court in Britain and said he wished to defect with his wife and two sons. The family realized that plan late last month, traveling directly from the United Kingdom to South Korea.

That rendezvous at the tennis court was the first time Thae had ever opened up to a South Korean official about his desire to defect, the sources said.

Steve Evans, a South Korean correspondent for BBC, wrote in an article published Tuesday that he has pleasant memories” with Thae and that “the signs were there” that the diplomat thought about defecting to South Korea.

“I recall he asked me about life in Seoul,” wrote Evans. “I told him it was a mega-bustling city, a world away from Pyongyang.”  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but the North Koreans are blaming the defection on coercion by the ROK with money, women and possibly even kidnapping his kids.

Another rat has fled the sinking ship:

A North Korean diplomat stationed in Britain left his post to seek asylum in another country earlier this month along with his wife and child, the latest in a series of defections by senior North Korean officials.

According to a source with in-depth knowledge of North Korea on Monday, the diplomat embarked on a defection journey “following a scrupulous plan” and was in the process of “landing in a third country as an asylum seeker.” In matters of defection, “third country” signifies a country that is neither North nor South Korea.

“The North Korean Embassy in Britain tried to find him, but it is said that it has failed,” said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but I would think the North Korean regime will probably now consider not allowing these diplomats to serve overseas with their families to prevent defections.

https://twitter.com/pearswick/status/765932233500655616

This probably isn’t too surprising to most people:

For the fourth year in a row, North Korea’s Air Koryo has claimed the dubious honor of being ranked the worst carrier in the world.

But Air Koryo may not be that bad, according to online reviews.  (……..)

Among the features that raised concerns among reviewers was the onboard meal of hamburgers made of a “mystery meat,” safety demonstrations that often were skipped, entertainment that consisted of propaganda films played in a loop and overhead luggage racks with no doors to keep bags from falling down on fliers during turbulence.  [LA Times]

You can read more at the link.

https://twitter.com/pearswick/status/764016048366424066